Train-controlled electric recording crossing-signal.



H. WILKINS.

TRAIN CONTROLLED ELECTRIC RECORDING CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED N0V.29l 1912. 1,155,535. Patented 001;. 5,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A Home COLUMBIA PuNouRAi'H co.. WASHINGTON, 1).:v

H. WILKINS.

mm cowmouan ELECTRIC asconomc CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29. l9l2.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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UNITED ES PATENT orrion H ABBY WILKINs, or EVANSVILLE, IN IANA, assrenon OFONE-EOURTI-I 'ro WILLIAM H. REDMAN, onn roun'rnrro WILLIAM M. SMITH, AND'oNE-H LF TO JAMnsr.

wILsoiT, ALL or vANnERBnne COUNTY, INDIANA.

To all whom it may/concern: Y i

ii crossing signal Iand' animproved operating -signals.

Be it knownthat I, HARRY WILkIivs, a

citizen or the United States, residing at Evansville, county of Vanderburg, and :State of Indiana," have inventedicertain new and useful Improvements in Train-Controlled Electric Recording Crossing-Signals, oi which the following is a specification.

This invention relates 1 to train controlled electric recordingocrossing signals My'ob ect is to provide a visual crosslng signal adapted" for electrical operation by an approaching train at adistancei whereinimrp'roved 'meansg will' be provided i or operating the. signal, preferably. semaphore arm and also. for automatically: recording the 'operationof the signal andstheetime it is operated, thereby maintaining a record of the I different operations which will constitute proof, that at certa1n"t1mes the signal V operated. 1

1 Another ob ect is to provide an improved track instrument adapted to be actuated by a train, for. the control" oftherelectricalclr- .cuit by which a operatedx I Another object is the provision of a visual visual crossing signal is mechanism for wigwagging said signah further ob ect is the provlsioniofan 1mproved recording mechanism for crossing The invention is set forth fully hereinafter and the improvedand novel features are re cited in the appendedclaimsi a In the accompanying. drawings :'Figure -1 is a plan view of the signal and a partofa, railroad track; Fig. 2, a detail-side elevation ofone ofthe trackinstruments; 3, a, detail of the recording dial or-disk; Fig. 4,

. struments consist of a base 3 to which is secured orrwithwhich is formed integrally thearms 4 and 5. Pivoted at 6 to the base is a trip 7 which in turnihas pivoted thereto at 8, plungersz9falid 10-'\vhich{are cushioned on springsll indash-pots 12'and 13 on the Specification. of Letters Patent.

TRAIN-CONTROLLED ELECTRIC RECORDING oRossme-s eN-AL.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Application filed November 29; 1912. Serial no. 734,223. I

arms 41 and 5. ,Thetrip 7 is thus rendered self restoring andis adapted to maintain an upright position when not depressed by a train as .the springs 11 arev of the same strength and mutually cooperate with the trip 7 to maintain itin substantially verti cal position so that it nay be s'truck'by' a train traveling ineither direction. The trip 1S provided with a. contact block 114: which is adapted-to bebrought into engagement with contacts 15 and 16 of the circuit 17 which controls the signal, the said contacts 15 and 16being carried by. any suitable insulating head 18 carried by base or plate 3. When the trip? is struck by a train traveling away "from thecrossing, the direction of movement throws the 'contactiblock l i'away from the contacts 15 and 16 and the circuit is, therefore, not completed, but'when the train is approachingthecrossing, the trip is so -stru'ck' that the contact block 14: is pressed against the contacts 15 and 16. and thefcircuit is completed and the signal operated.

The contactsl l, 15 and 16 may be made -mov.ableor.cushioned in any desired manner :to compensate for the shock of their engage :ment H v finclosed in a conduit or pipe 19.

At ornear thecrossing in some suitable posit on is located the base 20 of the signal,

above which is the box or housing2l and The electrical conductors may be suitably the staii or pillar 22, the latter' being surmounted bya signal light 23 0f any pre 'ferred form. The column 22 ishollow and provided with a box-like headQlihaVing an open side 25 in which is pivoted at 26 a. sigv nal or semaphore 27 which is adapted to be wigwagged up and down.

To that end,

-' there is provided an arm 28 connectedtoithe v semaphore, this arm in turn being pivoted to a link 29. Pivoted at'30 to the link29 is a plunger 31 which slides through guides 32 -and ,33 fixedin the staff 22 and extends loosely down through the bottom 34 of the i said staff, the lower end'thereofbeing preferably beveled at 35. Secured to the plunger 31 is a disk or head 36 and interposed "between this disk andlthe guide 33 is a coil spring 37 which, by bearing on the disk or 'collar'36, tends to throw the signal or semaphore 27 into horizontal. position; A cushion, preferably of rubber 38, loosely surrounds 'the'plunger 31' below the col1ar36 and takes up the shock or impact of the said collar under the tension of the spring.

Journaled in suitable l'iearings in the box orbase 21 is a shaft which carries a gear 10 and a cam +11 having a grooved periph cry. The beveled end 35 rests on the grooved periphery of the cam :11, such grooved periphery preventing lateral displacement of said end 35 and insuring its maintenance in contact with the cam at all times. Any suitable electric motor 42, which is secured on base 20, drivesthe gear 10 through a pinion -13 in mesh therewith, said electric motor being included in the circuit 17. Any suitable source of electrical current may be employed for the circuit 17 which is opened and closed by the track instruments 1 and 2, but always remains open except whena trip is struck by a train approaching a crossing. Consequently, the semaphore '27 remains stationary except when a trip is struck by the train. On the gear 40 is a tappet el-l. Pivotally mounted on a bracket 15 is a hammer 16 which has a beveled end 1'? adapted to be engaged by the ta ppet 11 once during each revolution of the gear 10, a spring 48 normally maintaining theend a? in position to be struck by the said tappet. Suitably mounted in line with the head of the hammer 16 is a spring-retracted punch pin 49 which is adapted to be struck by the hammer when the latter is engaged by the tappet 1-4. The point of the punch pin operates through a hole in a disk 51 secured to a bracket 51. Driven by an hour arbor of any suitable clock movement 52 contained within box 21 is a disk to the face of which is secured a cork disk 54. The disk 5% rotates with the disk 53 and is adapted to serve as a cushion and carrier for a paper recording disk or dial bearing the hours, similar to a clock dial and provided with a blank rim 56concentric with the dial part thereof. The recording disks or dials 55 are intended to be supplied each day to the dials 53 and or twice a day if the hoursthereon are only numbered from 1 to 12. The disk 51 assists in holding disk but does not rotate with it.

Assuming that a dial 55 has been secured to the disk 54 with the hours thereon so ar ranged in relation to the punch pin 49 as to represent the hour at which the dial is placed on the disk 5% and, subsequently, either of the trips 7 is struck by a passing train, the hour of the day is then opposite the punch pin 49, due to the rotation of the hour arbor of the clock movement. The circuit being closed through the contacts 14-, 15 and 16, the electric motor 12 is operated and the gear 40 turned with the cam 41, causing the semaphore 27 to wigwag up and down and attract the attention of those who are about to go over the crossing. Once during each revolution of the gear 40, the

tappet H strikes the beveled end 17 of the hammer 46 and causes the latter to deliver a blow onto the punch pin 4:9, the latter striking the margin 56 of the record dial 55 and making a perforation therein. Perforations will be made in the dial corresponding to the number of revolutions of the gear 10, which in turn is dependent on the period of energization of the motor 42 and that, again, being dependent on the length of time the trip 7 is depressed, indicating the period of time the train occupied in passing the crossing. The wheels of a train strike the trip 7 in such rapid succession that the contacts 1 1, 15 and 16 remain closed until the train has completely passed the trip, and consequently, as long as the train is passing over the trip 7, the motor 42 continues its rotation. Each time the cam -11 rotates, the signal arm is wigwagged one time and the tappet 141 actuates the hammer L6 once, thus striking the punch pin 19 once against the disk 56, thus making one pin punch on the dial. The pin punches or marks are repeated, in succession on the dial 56 as it is turned by the clock movement, while the train is'passing over the trip 7.

The dial is preferably of a suificiently large size, say twelve inches or more in diameter, to afford the requisite space -for indication of the succession of dots. For instance, with a twelve inch dial 56, if the clock dial moves one-sixteenth of an inch, the twelve inch dial would move about onequarter of an inch, thereby afiording plenty of space for the succession of punch mark made while the train is passing over the trip.

If desired, a light or lantern of any kind can be provided on the semaphore 27 or arranged to be operated by it so that the signal is clearly visible at night.

The provision of the recording apparatus insures the keeping of an accurate record of the operation of the signal and is useful in case of a dispute as to whether the signal operated at a given hour on a given day, as the dials 55 will be dated and filed away for future reference.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2- 1. In a train controlled recording crossing signal for railways, the combination with a wheel, of a hammer adapted to be periodically operated by said wheel, a marking device adapted to be operated by the hammer, a clock-operated record adapted to receive the markings of the marking device, and track instruments located on opposite sides of the crossing and for actuation by the train, said track instruments controlling the rotation of the wheel.

2. In a train controlled recording crossing signal for railways, the combination with an electric motor, a Wheel driven thereby, a nections for the electric motor Which are 10 hammer, means operated by the Wheel controlled by said track instruments. adapted to periodically operate the hammer, In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my ahmarking devnie adapted to1 be opgraged log signature in presence of two Witnesses.

t'e hammer,ac oc c-operate recor a apte to receive the markings of the marking de- HARRY WILKINS' vice, track instruments on opposite sides of Witnesses: i the crossing Which are adapted for actua- W; R. TIEMAN, tion by a train, .and electrical circuit con- JAMEs WILsON;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. s 

